Attendees at a diabetic clinic at Wiang Pa Pao Hospital in Chiang Rai province, Thailand, were invited to take part in this cross-sectional study. All participants were aged 35–74 and had type 2 diabetes. Participants were required to have been diagnosed with diabetes for at least three months. 179 subjects accepted a clinical oral examination and completed the questionnaire. Tooth wear was assessed clinically using the Smith and Knight Tooth Wear Index.
The mean age of diabetic patients was 56.5 ± 7.8 years. The majority (44.1%) had diabetes more than 5 years. The average years of having had diabetes was 6.5 ± 6.3 years. The most prevalent type of tooth wear was attrition (99.4%). The prevalence of erosion, abrasion, and abfraction were 64.8%, 31.3%, and 7.3%, respectively. The majority of the tooth wear was moderate to high severity (62.1%). Erosion and abfraction showed significant association with age group ( p < 0.05). Age group was significantly associated with the severity level ( p=0.017). Mild tooth wear severity was the highest in age groups 35–44 and 45–54 (53.8% and 41.2%, respectively). Moderate tooth wear was the highest proportion in age groups 55–65 and 65–74 (52.2% and 44.0%, respectively). There were no significant differences between specific diabetic symptoms and types of tooth wear.